A Gloriously Ordinary Day Ruth 2:1-23 Ruth 2:1-23

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A Gloriously Ordinary Day Ruth 2:1-23 Ruth 2:1-23 1

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.” 8

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” 14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17

So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. 19 And her mother-inlaw said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” 21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” 23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Introduction This morning, we are going to see the LORD begin to redeem not only a family, but a whole nation, through the faithfulness of Ruth and the mercy of Boaz in the details of everyday life.

M.P.T. – To reveal how God is working in Naomi and Ruth’s situation to redeem them from their situation M.P.S. – God is at work in the everyday details of our life to bring about our full and final redemption. Purpose – To encourage us to see how God is working for our redemption in the midst of the everyday details of our life Exposition I.

Meet Boaz

As an introduction to this chapter, the author provides his readers with some important information about Boaz. According to verse 1, Boaz was a relative of Naomi’s husband. He was a prominent (wealth / person of means & ability) of noble character. This was rare for this time in Israel’s history, which was marked by the phrase, “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” As the chapter progresses, these details about Boaz become more and more important for the Naomi and Ruth’s redemption. As we will see, Boaz, as a relative of Elimelech, has the option to be a family redeemer for Naomi and Ruth. However, having the option does not necessarily mean that one possesses the character or the ability. We will look at the concept of a family redeemer (AKA - kinsman redeemer) in more detail next week, but for now, we simply need to realize that Boaz is a prime candidate for the job given his character and his ability to care for Naomi and Ruth. II.

A “Chance” Encounter

In verse 2, our story picks up with Ruth fulfilling her commitment to Naomi. Here we find her asking if she can go into the fields and glean fallen grain. In the Israelite community, the LORD had made provision for widows and the poor to enjoy the benefits of others harvest. This was part of the way that people cared for the poor and widow. Now, I want you to notice verse 3. If you are not careful, you will miss it. In verse 4, we see more of Boaz’s character as he addresses his workers with a blessing from the LORD. Eventually, Boaz takes notice of Ruth. After speaking with his workers, he commends her for her service to his relative, Naomi. This further tells us something of Boaz’s character in that he looks after Ruth, the Moabite. Furthermore, he invokes the LORD’s blessing upon her. Ruth recognizes kindness when she sees it. She is exceedingly grateful for his care of her. As the story continues, Boaz once again shows generosity to Ruth and Naomi. He, like Ruth, is committed to caring for those in his family.

As the story closes, we see a glimmer of hope appear that gets the reserved and heartbroken Naomi talking again. She realizes that the man taking care of them through his generosity is also a person that could do far more than simply provide grain. He was able to restore dignity and hope to their family. He had demonstrated the character and the means to bring them out of the pit of despair. He showed them mercy. And mercy got Naomi talking... Conclusion – In the day-to-day affair of Naomi and Ruth’s life, God showed them mercy and generosity through a family redeemer. Instead of pouting and being consumed with self-pity, Ruth trusted the LORD and stayed faithful to her commitment to care for Naomi. In her faithfulness, hope for redemption began to dawn on them both. Application •

We need to eliminate the language of “chance” or “luck” from our vocabulary. (See Vs. 3) Nothing happens by chance, fate, or luck. Psalm 37:23 says, “A man's steps are established by the LORD, and He takes pleasure in his way.” While we might not be able to fully understand the circumstances and daily affairs we find ourselves in, we can at least be sure that God is at work for our good.

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When we are uncertain about the circumstances and details of our life, we need to be faithful to the commitments that God has called us to in His Word. We cannot underestimate the impact of daily faithfulness. o Reading the Word o Praying o Serving Others

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We need to learn to evaluate our circumstances in light of God’s grand work of redemption in Christ Jesus. o

2 Corinthians 4:7-18